The Red Sacrament
by Kiari Ferrari
Summary: Raven mysteriously loses her powers during a fight with HIVE and a thankful foreign diplomat invites the team to his home- Transylvania. Amidst shifting feelings, Robin promises to protect her from Slade and a smooth talking Lord whose history is wrapped in a bloody mystery along with the ancient castle said to be Dracula's home. A darker plot is at work with Raven at the center.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Movie night at Titan Tower was perhaps Beastboy's favorite time to spend with his best friends, especially after a long day's work of intense crime fighting. It was simply nice to relax with his fellow teammates, all whom were currently seated around the large living room couch debating genres of entertainment to agree upon. The ex-Doom Patrol member waved a thin DVD case for consideration.

"Come on guys, this is the greatest horror classic of all time! We have to watch it."

Cyborg, the mechanical half human genius of the team, shook his head and held up his hand. "Uh uh, you remember what happened the last time we watched a scary movie?"

Two other members nodded in agreement. "Please, Beastboy," Starfire piped up, "I do not wish to go through that again." The beautiful alien visibly shivered at her memory of the tower unintentionally being turned into a real-life house of terrors.

Robin, the leader of the group, ran a hand through his jet black hair before asking, "does it have to be horror this time, Beastboy?"

The changeling frowned, placing both hands on his hips. "Hey, this week is my turn. If we can sit through Starfire's documentary about what happens to poop after its flushed, then we can all sit through a movie about vampires."

"But it looks old, dude." Cyborg whined. Beastboy waved the DVD even harder in their faces. "Of course it's old, man, it's Dracula! The 1931 original film."

Raven, the violet-haired empath, who had up until then been divulged in a book finally chimed in with her usual monotone, "two hours of bad acting in black and white? Sounds terrifying."

"Come on, Raven," Beastboy smirked sliding in next to her ignoring the glare she shot him at his intrusion of her personal space. "I know you like this kind of stuff. Back me up!"

Raven slammed her book shut, obviously not in the mood to argue. "Whatever."

"Man, come on, this movie is older than my grandma, and it's not even scary." Cyborg continued to complain before chugging down a can of soda.

"If it is not the scary," Starfire began, "then why did you call it the 'horror,' Beastboy?"

Beastboy smirked, wagging a finger at her. "Guess you'll just have to see for yourself."

To her left, Robin made a large sigh and crossed his arms appearing bored. "Alright, let's just get this over with."

Unfazed by his teammates' lack of enthusiasm, the green Titan began playing the movie then proceeded to jump in his spot on the couch as a dog.

Sometime after midnight the ancient movie had ended, leaving in its wake three snoring Titans. Raven glanced over to see Cyborg, Beastboy, and Starfire deep asleep in various odd positions complete with drool. She rolled her eyes and the corner of her mouth lifted ever so slightly. Despite their quirks, she loved her surrogate family dearly. After all they've been through together, she now couldn't imagine a world without them.

"Still awake, huh?" A low voice questioned from her right. Raven looked at Robin.

"Surprisingly." She simply answered.

Robin reached for the remote to mute the menu music that had just started its preprogrammed loop, which only made the other Titans' snores much more pronounced.

"You were right, though." Robin tilted his head towards her. "It really was bad."

He chuckled, which made her smile slightly. "Not as bad as Starfire's last choice." Raven reminded.

Robin grimaced and shot her a pleading look. "Please, Raven. She's already ruined hotdogs for me. Now I can't look at a toilet without getting queasy."

It was Raven's turn to laugh. "We live in an enchanting world, don't we?"

"Magical." Robin agreed in a matching sarcastic tone. He enjoyed small talks and the occasional banter with his dark female teammate. They've shared a special relationship ever since she dove into his mind to practically save his life. The bond that was created grew exponentially when Robin, himself, trudged through the depths of hell to rescue Raven when her demon father, Trigon, nearly destroyed the earth and Raven herself. Not many people would go to such lengths for a friend, and the empath was grateful to have someone like him in her life.

"You think we should leave them there?" Raven waved a hand to her right towards the rest of the Titans.

Robin shrugged. "We usually do."

A loud gurgling snort erupted from Beastboy as he flipped onto his back, accidentally knocking over a bowl of left over popcorn.

"He's definitely cleaning that up." Robin murmured to himself while standing up. He finally turned the TV off, plunging the main room into darkness, save for the lights of Jump City twinkling through the massive bay windows. Taking a moment for the serene view to sink in, he silently wished the alarms would stay quiet tonight. Raven watched him curiously.

"Imagine," Robin started, "A world where vampires actually exist. An immortal criminal able to multiply their strength with a single bite, creating chaos across the globe. We'd really be in trouble."

He half turned to look back. Raven had to immediately bite her lip to reign in her emotions when the lights of the city casted a soft glow over his toned outline. Any normal girl could see how attractive he was, in fact, even villains were known to fawn over him which garnered strong reactions from Starfire and herself. However, while the alien princess made her opinions very clear, Raven refused to let her's surface in fear of publicly harboring a weakness. There were too many reasons why it became necessary to hide these feelings from everyone, even though lately it was becoming much more difficult to do so. Distrusting her voice at the moment, and mentally beating herself, she replied to his odd remark with a raised eyebrow.

The Boy Wonder faltered. "Vampires don't exist, right?"

Out of anyone in their group, well out of anyone he knew, Raven was the most knowledgeable in the darker areas of the world. In fact, she was the most knowledgeable member on the team, maybe out of everyone he knew. And, if a real fire-breathing dragon could be cursed inside one of her mysterious books, who is to say that a creature like a vampire couldn't exist?

"I can't say for sure." She answered slowly, straining to keep her pulse steady. "But, it's not impossible."

"The idea of a human obtaining immortality through venom seems very unlikely though." Robin countered, turning fully to face his teammate.

This conversation needed to be cut short. Raven stood and stifled a fake yawn. "Unlikely, yes" She began, "but legends can be based off truth."

Robin crossed his arms and smirked. "You believe it, don't you?"

"As much as I believe in the tooth fairy. Goodnight."

Robin chuckled, "Goodnight, Raven." She threw a small smile over her shoulder and proceeded out of the great room into the darkened hallway. She couldn't wait to melt into bed and thank Nevermore that her powers hadn't surged in a humiliation attempt. Once settled, she prayed for a busy day in order to keep the weeding emotions, growing out of her control over an impossible scenario, from consuming her. That scenario thankfully failed to appear in her dreams, when instead, she saw dark visions of glowing eyes, fangs, and a whole lot of blood.

 **I'm sure later on, I'm going to want to rewrite this chapter- because doesn't that always happen with the very first one? I definitely do not own TT.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Dude! Get your bacon away from my tofu. That stuff is gross!"

"Have you ever even tried bacon?"

"How many times do I have to tell you I'm a vegetarian!"

A usual and loud morning greeted Raven as she made her way through the great room catching the scent of frying bacon and spices. Although she rarely ate a breakfast meal, supplementing it with herbal tea, the sounds and smells of Beastboy's and Cyborg's cooking always made the place feel warm and cozy.

"Well, you don't know what you're missing." Cyborg finished with a mouthful of meat.

Raven, tuning them out as usual, heated the tea within minutes before sinking into the cushy booth of the table while reopening the book she had stopped reading the night before. It wasn't long before the soft swishing noise from the automatic doors revealed the Titan's leader coming in to start the lineup of the day's work.

"Morning guys." Robin greeted with the usual smile. Raven locked eyes with his for a moment in acknowledgement and sent a small smile with it. He grinned in return then inhaled slowly. "Something smells great."

Beastboy held up a large plate stacked with small white squares covered in a brown sauce as if showcasing some rare artifact. "Behold! My famous tofu - gravy breakfast bonanza! Not only good for your brain, but tastes great too!"

Both of Robin's eyebrows arched up. "Uh, no thanks Beastboy."

"Aww man come on, you never try my food."

Cyborg slapped fresh pieces of bacon onto the pan making the grease hiss seductively, causing Robin's mouth to water. He replied with a small smirk, "that's because it's not real food. I'll take a few pieces if you don't mind Cyborg."

"Coming right up!"

Beastboy shot the meat-loving chef a vengeful look while muttering about more tofu for him. It was at that moment their alien teammate made her first appearance, and as usual it was melodramatic and bubbly. "Goodmorning my friends! I have the most glorious news!"

Raven took in the beautiful girl, bright as the morning sun gleaming through the bay windows, and once again successfully suppressed envy. Starfire was her closest female friend and sister figure when it came to certain things. Although, the empath very rarely divulged to the Tamaranian, their respect was mutual, and after a body-switching fiasco, a bond was present as well. But a small piece of Raven wished people looked at her like they did at Starfire.

"What's the news, Star?" Robin asked curiously, taking a small loaded plate of bacon from Cyborg. Starfire floated towards them holding an opened magazine.

"I have come upon the means to accurately determine what type of Earth male I will marry."

Three things happened at once. Beastboy spat out his chewed up tofu, Cyborg accidentally flipped a piece of bacon onto the floor (a serious offense), and Robin nearly fumbled his plate. Meanwhile, Raven hadn't reacted one bit, but ceased reading for the moment to hear Starfire explain this one.

"Uh, w-what do you mean Star?" Robin stammered. Starfire held up the magazine in her hand pointing to a certain page. "It says right here to answer the questions given, and then once you add up all of the points, it tells you who you will marry and I have done it! I did not know finding a husband was so easy on this planet."

Laughter erupted from Beastboy and Cyborg but Robin slapped a palm to his face and groaned. "Starfire, that's not.." He wasn't sure how he could explain the real rules of engagement to the alien, but he didn't have to as from the end of the table, an even voice responded , "It's not real, Starfire. You can't always trust what a magazine says."

Starfire, confusion evident on her face, walked over and laid the pages out for Raven to see. "But it clearly states here that the month of my birth and the specific alignment of stars will bring a man into my life within the year and the results of my answers gives a description. He will be strong, sensitive, positive, hilarious, tall, and handsome."

Raven tried with great difficulty not to roll her eyes. Starfire may be strong and beautiful, but her simple innocence and naivety of earth culture incited plenty of misunderstandings through their years together.

"They're just useless quizzes produced purely for entertainment by someone sitting somewhere in an office laughing at poor souls who actually believe in this stuff."

Starfire appeared hurt, and for a moment Raven felt a little guilty. Her bluntness sometimes came off a little rough so she tried again. "It's okay, Star. These articles aren't meant to be taken seriously."

"But it is quite convincing-"

"Trust me, Star," Robin interceded while settling into the seat across from Raven, "if it were that simple, the dating game would be practically nonexistent. Like Raven said, it's more for entertainment."

Starfire placed a finger on her lip and pondered for a moment. This allowed the others to join them at the table with their food before she spoke again. "Oh I see now." A small smile developed on her face as she pointed to the top of the page. "Then if its purpose is for entertainment, will you please take the quiz Raven? I am curious to know what the outcome will be for you."

From Raven's left, Beastboy snorted. "I think we're all curious to see what kind of guy will actually marry her. Can you see her in a wed-"

He was cut off by a cup of orange juice encased in a black aura spilling down his shirt and pants. Cyborg pointed a fork at him in reprimand, "You asked for it."

"Please, Raven? It could be the fun." Starfire repeated pleadingly. Raven searched Robin for an excuse to not participate but he only shrugged, hiding a sly smile behind the morning newspaper. She silently cursed him.

"Since when did Raven do fun?" Beastboy muttered under his breath trying to wipe off the spilled juice from his shirt. He hadn't realized everyone had heard him when the now empty glass mysteriously clonked him upside the head. Ignoring his groans of pain, Raven, who was feeling rather giving towards the alien this morning, sighed and gave her the go-ahead to begin.

After ten agonizing slow minutes of answering detailed yet meaningless questions, everyone sat in silence awaiting the final result. Their intense interest irritated the empath and she swore she'd never agree to anything like this again.

Starfire grinned holding the page away from everyone's view. "According to your answers, you have already met your future husband and is in fact a close friend. Because you are guarded and introverted, this may have slipped your attention. It says to not ignore what your heart is telling you. Allow your emotions to take over. He shall be dark, mysterious, stong-willed, trusting, loyal, and will possess a lovely singing voice and green eyes."

Starfire finished, placed the magazine on the table, tucked her wrists under her chin and stared at Raven expectantly. She was met with indifferent amethyst eyes.

"Tell us, who is this close friend of yours?"

Raven opened her mouth to answer before Beastboy blurted out, "It obviously can't be one of us. I was thinking Aqualad, but that dude has blue eyes, not green."

A lone eyebrow rose on Cyborg's face as he commented, "It's kind of weird that you know that, B."

The changeling raided his hands. "Well, we're Raven's only close friends, so the article is definitely bogus."

"Well duh." Cyborg waved towards his left. "The only person I can think of that remotely matches the description is Robin."

Said leader nearly choked on the coffee he'd just been sipping. Beastboy burst into laughter. "Jeez guys, when were you going to tell us about the engagement?" He wiggled his eyebrows towards Raven who looked ready to commit murder and feel nothing but pleasure in doing so. Cyborg nudged him in the ribs, joining in on the teasing, "Yeah I hope you haven't picked out the silver yet!"

Raven craved nothing more than to melt into the floor, and although technically she could, disappearing would look suspicious, so she used all her strength to keep from blushing. She dared a glance at Robin who decided to take the unfazed approach, merely appearing annoyed. He hid his embarrassment well, but Raven could practically feel the discomfort churning inside him.

"Knock it off, guys. Those things are meant to be fun not realistic." He reminded tartly.

Starfire collected the magazine smiling sweetly at her only female teammate. "Thank you, Raven. That was most entertaining. We do not always have the time to engage in the 'girly' activities, but this was fun was it not?"

"You have no idea." She answered dryly. Before the alien decided to come up with anymore embarrassing girlish activities, Raven drained the last of the tea and rose to leave. "I'm going to meditate."

Beastboy immediately jumped from his seat and slid into Raven's path, one hand on his hip with the other pointed at her. "You can't leave yet, Rae. Don't you want to hear about the new game Cyborg and I just invented?"

"If it involves smelly objects, I'll pass."

A smirk spread on his face while he waved his hands. "Nope, that stuff was child's play. We've come up with something better! Cyborg, tell her."

"Uh, I'm not sure she really wants to hear it, B." Cyborg moved to collect the empty plates.

"Dude, of course she wants to hear it!" Beastboy argued, his eyes following the half robot into the kitchen.

"The last time we let her in on our game, she threw a demonic stank ball at my face, taking refereeing to a whole new level." Cyborg whipped a towel over his shoulder to begin scrubbing dishes, then added lowly, "took me weeks to get the smell out."

"What is this new game you have created, Beastboy?" Starfire inquired approaching the small group. To Raven, this conversation had gone on long enough, and she just wanted a little time to meditate and relax before the tower alarms rang in a new mission. If they even rang at all today.

Beastboy turned his attention to Starfire and began to explain, leaving an opening for Raven to steal away. An opportunity she didn't hesitate to seize. Robin watched her leave, shaking his head in amusement. He knew Raven well enough to recognize when she needed to be alone, never hesitating to grant her the solitude she often required in keeping her powers in check. He appreciated privacy almost as much as she did, understanding the importance of recharging. It was a practice he sometimes wished the others would try more often.

Soon, Starfire left the room, clearly not interested in Beastboy's new game that somehow involved Silkie, her pet mutant moth larvae, so the green shifter settled for a morning of video games.

Cyborg had barely finished cleaning up the kitchen when his communicator flashed and the tower alarms screeched overhead. Beastboy groaned, throwing up his hands as the TV screen switched from the video game to a collage of live security footage of the city.

"It's too early for butt-kicking." He whined.

"It's almost eleven, B." Cyborg pointed out, walking to the couch. Robin stepped up to the large table-sized control panel laden with an array of electrical buttons and knobs, and brought up the red flashing footage of an ongoing crime.

"Theres a high speed chase being pursued downtown. Four suspects of a classical art gallery heist are armed and dangerous." Robin turned as both Starfire and Raven promptly filed in to join the rest of the team.

"Looks like it's going to be another normal day. Titans, go!"

 **I apologize for any misspells or mishaps, it's pretty late but I wanted to get this chapter out.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the wait, I wanted to make this a longer chapter and I kept revising it. More apologies for any misspellings!**

 **Chapter Three**

Five disheveled team members filed into the Tower, several hours later, their shoulders slumped and eye-lids heavy with exhaustion. After the criminals of the art heist were rounded up, four more missions sprang up seemingly one right after the other, leaving no room for rest.

Beastboy collapsed chest first onto the couch. "I don't know about you guys," he said, "but I'm totally ready for this day to be over." He yawned while the others happily took their seats around him.

"It's been a while since we've kicked this much butt in one day." Cyborg added.

Starfire mimicked Beastboy's yawn. "Perhaps today is a special occasion?"

"No." Robin said, settling into a more comfortable position. "Evil never rests. This is what we've trained hard for."

Beastboy reached for a pillow. "Yeah, but, did they all have like a villains' convention or something?"

"We've dealt with much worse." The team leader reminded. He glanced over at Raven sitting quietly on the edge of the couch simply observing their conversation. Her eyes narrowed a little at meeting his, wondering if he was insinuating the time she nearly ended the world. She didn't believe they all held it against her but it could never be forgotten.

He blinked, confused at first, then smiled reassuringly when he figured it out. Her face returned to her usual passive look and she sent a tiny apologetic smile in return.

"Man, I need a pick-me-up. Cy, get me a soda, I can't move." The green changeling waved a floppy hand towards at him without moving to sit up.

Cyborg chucked the remote at his head and scorned, "do I look like a maid? Get it yourself."

Beastboy groaned but made no move to leave, instead, he used the remote to awaken the t.v.. The local news channel had already begun its five o'clock stories, and they showed recaps of the days events involving each of the crimes the Titans took down.

Raven stifled a yawn. Her powers required immediate meditation when she felt them fringe just beyond comfortable limits. The tiniest upset could trigger something to explode, and she didn't think they'd appreciate that too much.

Without a sound, she left the room and headed to the roof. Even though the feel of her soft bed was compelling, the sorceress used this time to enjoy the sunset over Jump City Bay. The fresh air wasn't needed, she'd been out all day fighting in it, but the orange, pink, and golden hues of the sinking sun usually soothed her aching mind and lent a hand in recharging quickly.

Most of the time the others left her alone, but, on occassion Starfire would request to join in meditation and they'd share a peaceful moment together. That's why, when the door to the roof screeched open, she first thought of the alien. It took only a moment to figure out the aura was different. A figure of green, yellow and black lowered himself next to her.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

Raven popped an eye open. "Do I have a choice?"

Robin chuckled, mimicking her indian-style pose. "Always."

She closed her eye again, allowing the smile to linger a bit. They fell into a comfortable silence that was not unusual between them. Raven wondered, though, why he decided to use his free time to spend it with her.

The Titan leader knew how difficult it was to gain a moment alone with the empath, who preferred the solitude of her room to the social areas of the Tower. They hadn't had a quiet meaningful moment together in some time. Robin, who genuinely sought out real relationships with each of his teammates, always made the extra effort to continually deepen their bonds.

A cool gust of wind lifted short violet strands around Raven's face just as Robin made a small whistle. She looked at him, but he was gazing forward.

"I can see why you prefer sunsets. It's breathtaking."

"It helps to keep perspective."

"What do you mean?" Gold and orange strands of sun reflected softly against his skin, lighting up his face as he drew his full attention to her. Deep within the caverns of her emotions, an uprising grew, and it took a steadying breath to quell it. Being alone with Robin always ilicited a reaction, but lately they were getting cocky.

"You once said that a sunrise was a promise of a new day and new possibilities. For me, a sunset is a reminder that you were able to live through another day. So, forgive yourself of the day's mistakes and remember that no matter what happens, the sun will always set."

She finished to stare in wonder at the receding light show and tucked a wispy stray hair behind her ear.

A few more moments of silence allowed her words to sink in to the Boy Wonder, who surprisingly found his eyes refusing to leave her glowing serene face. Something small, practically undetectable and foreign, stirred in the depths of his subconscious. He spoke before it had a chance to surface for questioning, and his thoughts easily turned.

"I never really thought about it in that way. It's almost poetic."

Raven peeked at him from the corners of her eyes and mocked, "Have I persuaded you to the dark side? Dusk over dawn?"

He shot her a cool look, mimicking her sly smile. "Who says I'm not already on the dark side?"

Raven let out a short laugh. "Robin, Red-X doesn't count. Your heart is more pure than most monks, so please continue to enjoy those sunrises."

His smirk melted into a genuine smile. This is what he came up here for. Leave it to Raven to always say the right things.

His communicator went off, and the peaceful air shifted uncomfortably around the loud beeps. Leave it to technology to ruin the moment.

Cyborg appeared on the screen. "Hey, we ordered in. Pizza should be here any minute."

"Thanks." Robin hung up.

At the mention of pizza, he became very aware of the emptiness of his stomach. He glanced at Raven, figuring her hunger must be as great as his after such a day. Although he preferred to spend more time up here, the call of warm delicious food was irresistible. He stood and offered a hand.

"You coming?"

Before she could accept it, though, the communicator went off once again. When Robin checked it, his face fell and he sighed heavily. "Pizza is going to have to wait. There's trouble."

The sun had already slipped below the horizon, it's purple and orange tendrils reaching at the last moments before night swept in. The Titans appeared on scene outside of a museum currently in the middle of its opening debut. The festivities had been threatened when the H.I.V.E. Five arrived uninvited, intent on stealing the newly housed items. The two groups squared off in the street as museum attendees rushed to leave the inevitable battle zone.

"I don't care what you guys think, they totally had an evil convention today." Beastboy shook his head.

Gizmo, flanked by four teammates, gave a haughty grin. "Did you miss us, you puny little fart brains?"

Robin expanded his bo-staff and pointed to the group. "I don't know who freed you, but you're going back where you belong."

Gizmo laughed. "I don't think so, Boy Blunder. We've got a job to do." He gestured back to a briefcase held by Billy Numerous.

"We're taking back what you stole. Titans go!"

Robin lept straight for Gizmo, the obvious new leader of the team, and collided with sharp metal tentacles protruding from his backpack. They parried a moment until the pack mechanically opened to release two small missiles. Robin instantly flipped backwards, barely dodging the detonations, before skidding to a halt amidst the smoke.

Reaching for a handful of explosive discs, he charged again and waited at the last moment to release the barrage. Gizmo hoisted an electric shield before they hit and more smoke choked the air around him. It came down a moment later to assess the damage but Robin was suddenly on top of him, bo-staff being held back mere centimeters from his face by a last second tentacle.

"How did you escape?"

Gizmo grunted against the weight, his hands full. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Robin pushed harder. "Someone freed you. Who are you working for?"

The strain against the Titan leader was getting overwhelming, but despite this, Gizmo smirked. "An old friend of yours."

A high-pitched screech pierced through the air as a green velociraptor charged towards Mammoth, who caught the front of his mouth with his bare hands. He was pushed back several feet until hitting the brick wall of a tall building. Beastboy backed up and shot forward, believing his prey was cornered, but Mammoth jumped out of the way and the prehistoric beast crashed into the wall.

Several small explosions shook the ground as green starbolts burst after See-More, the one-eyed H.I.V.E. member. He blocked most of the blasts with a self made shield and shot back a spray of bubble-like projectiles that Starfire maneuvered around.

"How does it feel to fight a real man?" He laughed, dodging debris and starbolts. Starfire allowed her powers to fill her eyes and replied, "I shall inform you when I do." Her eyes released a stream of deadly energy on the heels of her opponent. See-More lifted another shield smirking devilishly. "Sassy."

Just a few yards away, booms from Cyborg's sonic canon echoed off the nearest buildings aiming for Billy Numerous whose clones had him surrounded. "You know how this is going to go down." Cyborg cocked back his canon. "I win, you lose."

Smiles erupted on the clones' faces. One of them held up the large silver briefcase and waved it to taunt the half-robot. His mechanical eye zoomed in a little to get a clear view of the symbol on the front.

"That's property of the museum. Whatever is in it, isn't worth another trip to the freezer." He insisted.

The clones each scowled, multiplied, and piled on top of him.

Raven heard his yell but was blocked by Kyd Wykkyd. His red eyes locked onto hers as the cowl he used for a weapon was positioned just behind him ready to swing. She enveloped her hands with demonic powers, remembering how their last encounter proved he was a very formidable opponent. He swung the weapon swiftly back and forth just missing its intended target. The attacks stopped when a large chunk of road lifted up to send him rolling backwards, but he recovered by levitating several feet above ground. The slab of asphalt catapulted straight towards him but he dissolved in thin air. Raven rose to the spot where he disappeared, searching for any sign of him.

The air shifted as Wykkyd rematerialized directly behind her. The sorceress spun around, anticipating his move, barely dodging an attack from his cowl as it swung inches from her face. His other arm followed but missed when she shot back, but only found he appeared behind her again.

Raven threw up a shield before his foot nearly collided with her head. They engaged in air hand-to-hand combat, both of which were quite skilled. But fighting Kyd Wykkyd had major challenges because their powers were so similar. However, Raven knew her demonic heritage had the upper hand.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Black aura completely encased the H.I.V.E. member just as an earth-shattering explosion rocked the immediate vicinity and sent blast waves through the air. It was strong enough to distract the empath and free Kyd Wykkyd. Fearing her teammates' safety from the explosion and unable to see them, Raven quickly assessed their auras, but failed to defend herself when a sudden red stream of light struck her square in the chest and slammed her hard into the ground.

Raven groaned sitting up slowly with one hand against her head. It felt like someone was taking a hammer to it, blurring her vision for a moment. Other groans floated through the drifting smoke as rubble shifted under weight. She drew her eyes skyward, blinking away the haze searching for Wykkyd but found only empty space. Where did the red light come from? She hadn't seen him pull out a new weapon, and his powers were dark like hers.

Pulling a hand to her chest, she checked for damages, calling forth her healing abilities to soothe bruises from the fall. Besides the spinning sensation in her head, nothing else was wrong, so what exactly hit her?

A beep from the communicator sounded. "Titans," a rough voice began, "status report."

"I am quite alright but I cannot see anyone." An out-of-breath alien huffed.

"I can see you, Star." Came Beastboy's voice. "I'm coming to you."

"I'm alive." Cyborg's reply came. "Does anyone know where that blast came from?" His bulky form emerged from the smoke to the open area where Beastboy and Starfire were recovering. The opponents they were just engaged in battle with, were no longer in sight.

Robin, kneeling on one knee, surveyed the thick smoke for indications of his teammates or the H.I.V.E. The explosion had knocked him back hard, sending hot debris over most of his body, causing tears and burns on his legs and chest. Adrenaline masked most of the pain, but the fear that the H.I.V.E. got away with their crime made his fists clench.

Another feeling sent his thoughts in a new direction because something felt off. That's when he realized that someone had failed to give their status report.

"Raven, can you hear me?"

He waited impatiently for a reply. The communicator was silent. Gripping the device he stood, scanning his cloudy gray surroundings for movement. Fear bled into his core, leaking throughout his body at the streaming ideas of why she wasn't answering. She _always_ answered.

Then, a break in the smoke allowed Robin to see several yards across the road where a dark form huddled close to the ground. The sapphire cloak, dirty and slightly torn, beamed under a street lamp in the midst of broken concrete. Recognizing who was under it, the Boy Wonder exhaled in relief and hurried towards her.

Raven glanced up, feeling a warm familiar presence step into her personal space. The haze nearly gone, she willed her head to stop spinning, noticing Robin's concerned expression and realized his lips had been moving.

"...okay? Are you hurt?"

He was at eye-level with a gloved hand sitting soft on her shoulder.

"I don't think so." She whispered, unsure if it sounded convincing enough. Robin opened his mouth to say something but another voice cut in from above them.

"You pee-brains have been slacking."

Their eyes traveled up to the nearest building where Gizmo, along with his team appearing unharmed from the explosion, stood on the roof with haughty grins covering their faces. He now held the briefcase out for them to see.

"Our boss sends his regards. You losers enjoy cleaning up!" He snickered and they turned to retreat. Neon blue light abruptly lit up the roof just as glowing green discs exploded around them, stopping the H.I.V.E. in their tracks.

"I told you how this was going to end." Cyborg reproached, landing smoothly onto the roof from Beastboy's pterodactyl form. Starfire hovered to his left, hands and eyes glowing with intensity.

From hearing his teammate's intervention from the ground, Robin smirked and helped Raven to her feet. "Let's finish this."

She gave a small nod as he zipped up the side of the building with a grapling hook to flip effortlessly behind the distracted group, already brandishing his bo-staff. Shouts and bursts of energy vibrated the brick exterior of the building. With fatigue tugging on her muscles, and pizza waiting at home, Raven just wanted to toss the H.I.V.E. into a black hole and not think twice about it.

Opening her palms, she concentrated on bringing forth a tremendous amount of energy to quickly subdue the bunch, but when she reached into her inner self, there was nothing. A small gasp escaped her lips. She tightened her fists and squeezed her eyes shut, reaching inward again, feeling around for her powers but finding nothing to pull out. The odd part was that she could sense they were still there but something was prohibited her from accessing them.

Panic thread it's way up her spine. She stared hard into her hands and then glanced up.

This was _definitely_ not good.

 **Read now!**

 **Please alert me if I have left any confusion or have forgotten something.**

 **The H.I.V.E. five does not include Jinx, as at this point she has defected from them, pledging to be on the side of good. Also, in my story, the group had been flash frozen at their last battle, hence Cyborg's freezer comment.**

 **Remember, this is fanfic, if you don't like Rob/Rae then please move on and refrain from bashing.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own TT. And although TTGO is quite comical, I much prefer the original and hope they bring it back!**

Chapter Four

Raven leapt away just in time to dodge falling shards from the one-story building. Glass splashed across the street, shimmering under the street lamp like stars on a clear night, as blast after powerful blast echoed through the area.

Determined to get back into the fight, she settled her thundering heart to try reaching for her powers again. She whispered the mantra over and over until desperation pushed her to vocalize them aloud.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Nothing. She clenched her fists, her teeth grinding at the frustration. That red beam did something to her powers, but what or how, left her baffled.

A shout cut through the air followed by a glint of silver arcing high into the dusky sky and falling to rest with a loud smack at Raven's feet. The case!

Recognizing Robin's shout made her glance up in time to see the air in front of her twist into a black portal to which Kyd Wykkyd emerged. Forgetting she had no powers, Raven leapt for the case. As her fingers barely curled around the handle, a cold force hurled her backwards.

The world spun as she painfully rolled to a stop, the ground vibrating beneath her. Sucking in air from the wind being knocked out, she realized with surprise that she had somehow managed to hang on to the case.

She propped herself up on both hands and knees preparing for another attack, calculating her survival odds, but stopped, seeing Robin engage Kyd Wykkyd in combat. A mask of pure rage twisted his features, sending an odd pinching feeling in her gut.

Cyborg and Beastboy were merely feet away from him, corralling the others into a tight circle as Starfire assisted from above. The H.I.V.E. were surrounded. Gizmo put a hand to his ear, as if straining to hear something. He signaled his teammates. Each of them ceased fighting immediately and appeared ready to surrender.

"Well," Gizmo started, "it's been fun with you lame-o's, but I'm afraid we can't kick your sorry butts anymore."

"What? That's it?" Cyborg said in disbelief.

Beastboy morphed back into his human form. "I thought you were after whatever is in that case."

Gizmo snorted. "We know when we've lost the fight, but you can bet it's not over."

Their bodies began to flicker unnaturally, fading until empty space replaced the area. They had vanished.

"Since when could the H.I.V.E do that?" Cyborg waved dramatically.

Raven rose to her feet still clutching the case. She labored to breathe, just now noting the tenderness of her left ribcage. _Great._ A sweet ending to a perfect day. Raven wanted to curse something, but then remembered one tiny little problem. A flash of anxiety struck her as the quiet aftermath of the fight brought her predicament to the forefront and a heavy weight plummeted to her core. How was she going to tell the others? How would they take it?

Robin stepped into her line of sight, throwing off her train of thought. "Are you okay?"

She wasn't sure if he was referring to Kyd Wykyd's attack or the slightly terrified look she suspected she was giving off. Either way, she nodded. She needed time to figure this out before coming clean. Perhaps this was merely temporary and after a long sleep of recharging, her powers would be present and under control as usual. Revealing now might create unnecessary drama and stress on the already exhausted team.

"We should probably return this." She suggested, holding the case up for Robin to take. He reached for it, but remained locked on her face when she refused to make direct eye-contact.

It didn't take their bond to sense what the other was feeling. Raven was very worried about something. He tried to catch her amethyst eyes.

"Raven, is there something wrong?"

For a moment, it looked as if she was trying to speak, slightly parting her lips and then biting on them. Once she confessed, he was sure to have a million questions, and she didn't have a single answer yet.

Robin's brow creased deeper with concern. He touched her arm. "You know you can tell me anything, remember?"

His touch sent up a shiver and her eyes involuntarily lifted to meet his. She opened her mouth again, nearly ready to oblige him despite her reservations, but the sound of sirens and rubber burning against pavement interrupted them.

Firefighters were on scene first, hooking up hoses to douse the scattered flames and tend to any bystanders that may have gotten hurt in the crossfire. A slew of police vehicles followed closely by media news vans, swarmed the area and tried to approach the Titans.

Robin sighed, feeling the weight of the day heavy on his shoulders as the thought of talking to the police again made him inwardly groan. He glanced back at Raven who now held up her usual indifferent face.

 _Dammit_ , he thought. His rare opening had closed.

"You're bleeding." She pointed out. He peered down at the singed ragged holes stretched across his chest and legs where a few small threads of blood fell from. It wasn't serious and stitches probably weren't required but it was a hindrance.

He cracked a sly smile. "I've had worse."

She opened her lips to scold him and suggest he be seen by Cyborg but a few yelps and loud cursing from the media group took their attention. They shouted and waved obscene gestures to a black limo that was nearly plowing through them to get to the Titans.

The chief of police rushed over waving his arms at the limo until it stopped a few feet from them. Raven recognized the two identical miniature flags that flanked the windshield, and creased her brow in confusion.

"Who's the hot shot?" Beastboy cackled next to Starfire who was combing debris from her hair with her fingers. She looked at him puzzled.

"What is a hot shot?"

"It's just a figure of speech. You know-"

His words trailed off when the doors to the limo opened and out emerged three men. The robust elder gentleman in the middle donned a thick cloak adorned with intricate embroidery that clasped together at the neck with gold. A black hat hid most of his bald head and a long red cane rest at his side. The two other men, clad in matching tuxedos and presenting fierce faces, flanked him like bodyguards.

Their massive form and deadly aura deterred most of the crowding reporters, and they reluctantly held back.

Shaking the intimidation away, the chief stepped towards them. "You don't have authority to be in this area, sir."

The cloaked man smiled. "Pardon me, but they have a trinket most valuable that belongs to my patron."

He pointed a heavily ringed hand in Robin's direction, his accent heavy and drawl.

"That belongs to the museum." The chief argued, putting a hand over his holster.

Both bodyguards pulled their hands up to their sides, probably touching their own guns, Raven guessed. "And my patron sponsors the museum."

"I'm sorry, but this is a matter for the city police, and foreign diplomats do not have immunity here."

The man took a few solid steps forward, closely followed by his men, causing several other policemen to reach for their guns. The chief warned, "If you come any closer I will open fire, do you understand?"

A white handkerchief rose to wipe sweat from the man's head before he replied, "Nu, I am not a diplomat. I am Sir Enric de Bălan and my patron is Count Radu cel Rău of Transylvania."

At the mention of the Count, a hush fell over the crowd and the officers slowly dropped their hands. " _The_ Count Radu?"

"Da." Sir Enric stuffed his handkerchief in a side pocket. "He will be displeased to hear how a lack of security nearly cost him his most valuable treasures."

Robin glanced down at the case, wondering of the supposed priceless contents. What item, that belonged to a foreign lord, could be rich enough for the H.I.V.E. to risk their lives for? Raven nudge his side to get him to look back up at the gentleman who set a fierce gaze on both of them.

"Dude, you better give it to him." Beastboy hissed out the side of his mouth. His wide green eyes darting from the case and the foreigner. "He's from Transylvania. He could be a vampire."

It took Robin every ounce of strength not to roll his eyes, instead shooting him a disapproving glare.

With their weapons lowered, Sir Enric felt brave enough to saunter forward past the chief, followed closely by his bodyguards.

Soft tapping from the cane echoed eerily though the simmering battleground as Enric muffled a few grimy coughs from the lingering smoke. He cleared his throat, stopping in front of them, and said, "Salut. You must be the Teen Titans."

Cyborg nodded once, unsure what to make of him. His sensors quietly ran a face recognition program, only taking seconds before an identical image and name displayed his screen. Sir Enric was indeed who he said he was, but that did little to quell the uneasiness settling in his stomach. And when he looked at the others, it seemed those feelings were shared.

Robin peered once more at Raven whose brow was drawn in concentration, hoping her exceptional observational skills of the man dug up something he couldn't see.

"Thank you." Sir Enric spoke again, smiling. "You have prevented the loss of my patron's precious belonging. Although the security lacks here, your skills do not, and for that I thank you most sincerely on his behalf. Multumesc foarte mult."

His deep accent made them strain to understand.

"If I may, you are the one called Robin, da?" The cane by Sir Enric's side shifted to stand in front of him with both hands resting on the rounded top.

Robin nodded. "With all due respect, I'm going to have to see proof of ownership."

Sir Enric's gaze flickered to Raven before retrieving a piece of folded paper from his inner coat pocket. Robin closed the distance, reaching for it and a short silence followed. His shoulders relaxed as he handed it back, the paper having been an authentic certificate. He lifted the case into the man's hand who took it gratefully with a long sigh.

"We are in your debt, Robin."

"Just doing our job."

"Da, as are we all." Sir Enric turned back, passing the case along to one of the bodyguards who disappeared into the back of the limo.

"So, what exactly is in that thing that's so important?" Beastboy threw in, giving the rest of the titans the urge to swat him over the head for his bold question. It wasn't their business to know, as long as it was legal and in the proper hands, they didn't require the details. But when Sir Enric turned back, a grin spread over his pale face and something sparked in his dark eyes.

"A small currency coin marked by the name of Count Radu's ancestors. They were a ruling family from the 14th century and it's very rare. The Count has been tracking it down for... quite some time."

Beastboy crossed his arms a little deflated. "All this for a coin? Man, I thought it'd be some sort of rare diamond or something."

"The Count already possesses a diamond collection." Sir Enric stole another glance at Raven, piquing her annoyance. It seemed to have gone unnoticed, so she kept her studies on him, searching for signs of deception. She was certain Robin was doing the same.

"If it's as rare as you say, then I can see why the H.I.V.E. tried to steal it." Robin pondered then added, "they've promised to take it again."

Sir Enric straightened but his smile didn't falter. "I am no longer concerned of them. I can assure you now, that there is no threat of security while it stays in my possession. Nu vă faceți griji!"

"Very well." Robin turned to his teammates. "Let's go home."

He will deal with the police later. The sanctuary of their tower beckoned with promises of rest and peace, something they all desperately craved after a trying day. Soaking in a hot bath was going to be the first thing Robin enjoyed, followed by freshly delivered pizza, and then finally he will sink into his own cozy bed to block out the world for at least the next 12 hours.

"Wait! Please, we are not finished."

Or not. Robin and the others stopped with heavy sighs but faced the man with as much respect as they could muster.

"I am very much in your debt, and it is a custom in my country to pay it back with an equal or greater gesture. Please accept my invitation to be guests at my household for the annual festival on All Hallow's Eve."

Beastboy, who had perked at the idea of juicy reward, reacted first. "So you want us to go to your place in Transylvania for Halloween?"

"All your expenses shall be taken care of, of course."

"Dude!" He jumped in front of Robin, excitement washing away the fatigue from moments ago. "A vacation!"

The leader frowned not liking being put on the spot. "And who will watch over the city and take care of the tower?"

Beastboy clasped his hands together in a begging motion. "Come on, it's a free trip, we can't turn it down! You heard what he said, it's their custom to pay a debt back."

Robin set his jaw, not in the mood to argue and looked to Cyborg for backup. But he only shrugged back. "We could use a little break."

"I am in agreement with Cyborg. It is not often we get to travel for pleasure." Starfire added.

"But who will watch over the city and the tower?" He repeated. Protecting was their job and it was a 24/7 commitment that they all promised.

"We can call Titans East and see if they can spare a few people until we get back" The suggestion came from Cyborg.

A gloved hand rubbed the length of Robin's face. They _could_ do that, but it was terribly short notice as Halloween was only a week away. He felt his resolve weaken at the excitement upon his teammates' faces masking what he knew was exhaustion. Maybe they did need a break.

"I can have a car waiting for you tomorrow morning to take you to the airport. I am departing in a few hours, but rest assured, you will be traveling as first class passengers."

Well, Robin couldn't turn him down now, not after a squeal of glee escaped Beastboy's mouth. Not to say that the idea of a free trip to Romania wasn't tantalizing, because it really was, he just didn't feel too comfortable leaving his post.

He faced his quiet female teammate, who was attempting to conceal her troubled expression. Once they had a moment alone, he vowed to figure out why.

"So, are you against me too, Raven?" He expected her to say no but instead she appeared to be weighing something in her mind. Then after a small pause, she shrugged and her face smoothed to indifference again.

"It could be fun."

Robin wasn't sure if he just heard Raven say "fun," but Beastboy must have because he slid up to them wearing a smirk. "I _knew_ you liked that kind of stuff, Raven. There's tons of haunted places over there and we can't forget about the vampires. It's the perfect time to go!"

"Will you stop with the vampire thing?" Cyborg hissed. A quizzical look spread over Starfire's face. "I thought the vampire was of the mystical earth creature. It is only legend, correct?"

Cyborg nodded and sighed. "There are no such things as vampires. Don't worry."

"So?" Beastboy was practically bouncing on his toes. "Can we go, Robin, please?"

Feeling outnumbered and impatient to get home, the Titan leader quickly divided the pros and cons of leaving and the sum came out to a weak yes. Besides, turning down such an exquisite invitation would be considered rude. That, and the fact that Beastboy probably wouldn't let him live it down if he refused. He checked Raven one final time, to see if she had somehow came up with an arguable reason to stay behind, but she remained quiet, and that was as good a yes as any. He took a deep breath and addressed the cloaked foreigner.

"Mr. Enric, on behalf of my team, we gladly accept your invitation."

 **Finally! On to Romania for an awesome vacation... maybe. Any questions? Concerns? Advice?**


End file.
